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Once a year, the bugs emerge — millions of them. Every summer, they swarm en masse around the banks of the Mississippi River. It's mating season for mayflies.
There are so many of them, in fact, that they can show up on weather radar.
Check out this weather radar GIF from the evening of July 20, which shows clouds of flies leaving the Upper Mississippi River in Wisconsin and taking to the air to breed.
Though they live underwater for a few years, depending on the species, they only last a week or so after leaving the water — just enough time to breed.
After taking flight, they swarmed the towns of La Crosse, La Crescent, and Stoddard, traveling generally to the north
Though it happens every year, this swarm is particularly large. The National Weather Service compares this to the 2012 hatching event, earning the "massive emergence" tag in their records.
In 2012, there were so many that officials used snowplows to remove them from the roads.
Though the swarm may appear terrifying, and causes car accidents, it's actually a good sign for the health of the river. The flies are sensitive to pollution and don't survive in dirty water. And they provide a veritable banquet for birds, bats, and other predators.
After finding a mate and breeding, the females return to the river to drop their eggs, and then die.
I don't know if I have ever seen a Mayfly and I live right near the Mississippi, a lot farther down than that map. I guess since they need cleaner water to survive and the river is pretty polluted around here, You can even find dead fish floating near the banks, sometimes dead humans.
Once a year, the bugs emerge — millions of them. Every summer, they swarm en masse around the banks of the Mississippi River. It's mating season for mayflies.
There are so many of them, in fact, that they can show up on weather radar.
Check out this weather radar GIF from the evening of July 20, which shows clouds of flies leaving the Upper Mississippi River in Wisconsin and taking to the air to breed.
Though they live underwater for a few years, depending on the species, they only last a week or so after leaving the water — just enough time to breed.
After taking flight, they swarmed the towns of La Crosse, La Crescent, and Stoddard, traveling generally to the north
Though it happens every year, this swarm is particularly large. The National Weather Service compares this to the 2012 hatching event, earning the "massive emergence" tag in their records.
In 2012, there were so many that officials used snowplows to remove them from the roads.
Though the swarm may appear terrifying, and causes car accidents, it's actually a good sign for the health of the river. The flies are sensitive to pollution and don't survive in dirty water. And they provide a veritable banquet for birds, bats, and other predators.
After finding a mate and breeding, the females return to the river to drop their eggs, and then die.
Good reason never to live in La Crosse, Wisconsin (I'm scratching it off my list)
Along St. Lawrence River they have similar Shad flies, even parts of Montreal
near the river (Lachine) can look like scenes out of a horror movie in late May
I thought weather radar is specifically designed to sense rain only.
Anything in the way is picked up and reflected back on radar. The beam can't distinguish whats what so when hits any object in the atmosphere it shows it. Birds, Hail, buildings, and most scary one..debris. I've watched radar screens where a Tornado hit an area and the radar was showing the debris ball. (damage flying in the air)
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